Wiltshire mental health views wanted

England’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals is urging people to tell his inspectors what they think of the services provided by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP).

AWP is one of the first mental health trusts to be inspected under radical changes being introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The formal inspection by a team of 70 people including clinical experts and people who have experience of using mental health services will start on Monday.

Over the course of a week the inspection team will be visiting every hospital ward managed by the trust in Bristol, Bath, Devizes, Swindon, Salisbury and Weston-super-Mare, as well as many of the 152 community services.

Professor Sir Mike Richards, the chief inspector, said: “The new inspections are designed to provide us with a clear picture of the quality of the services, exposing poor or mediocre care as well as highlighting those trusts providing good and excellent care.

“The needs of people with mental health problems run through all CQC’s work.

“We have recognised that we need to strengthen our approach to regulating specialist mental health services to ensure that people get care that is safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well led.

“Of course we will be talking to doctors and nurses, managers and people who use services in hospitals and in the community. But it is vital that we also hear the views of the people who have had experience of the care provided by the Avon and Wiltshire Partnership, or anyone who wants to share information with us, to help us plan our inspection, and so focus on those things that really matter to people who depend on this service.”